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NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Be Kind to the Stock. — It is much less labor to 

 take care of animals that are docile and quiet, than 

 those that are uneasy and fractious. They will 

 soon catch the spirit of your own temper. If your 

 words and actions are kind and gentle, they will 

 come to their places with confidence and allow you 

 to handle them pretty much as you please. Taken 

 from green, succulent food, and fed mostly upon 

 hay, they need an occasional feed of pumpkins or 

 roots, to break them off gradually, and accustom 

 them to their winter fodder. 



Fatting Hogs. — If kept in a proper place the 

 temperature of November is favorable for fattening 

 hogs. Give them a dry, warm place, feed often on 

 warm food, and they will lay on flesh and fat from 

 one to two pounds a day. When this is done, it 

 is profitable for us to raise pork. 



Sheep. — These animals do not dislike even severe 

 cold weather, provided they are under cover where 

 they can keep themselves dry. They should be al- 

 lowed to go at will into the barn or close sheds, or 

 into the yard. While having the care of sheep 

 through several winters, we observed that in clear 

 dry nights, they usually remained in the yard dur- 

 ing the coldest weather, and they were always 

 healthy ; while in damp, or rainy weather, al- 

 though it might be quite warm, they preferred be- 

 ing under cover. 



Apple, Pear, Plum, Cherry and Quince trees 

 may be planted in this month ; so may Currants, 

 Gooseberry and Rasperry shrubs. Trim and tie 

 up to the stakes or trellis work the Raspberries of 

 last summer's growth, cutting outall the old wood, 

 and shortening the vigorous growth of the young 

 shoots. 



Seedlings and Cuttings should be protected by 

 a coating of compost, or some light substance, 

 such as leaves, hay, straw or shavings ; but per- 

 haps clear earth would be better, though we never 

 have known mice attack such small plants. 



Pruning. — All hardy trees may be pruned this 

 month, if the season is not very frosty. It is much 

 safer to prune the apple tree now than in March 

 or April. Bank them up as mentioned in last 

 month's calendar. 



And though mentioned last, it is not the least 

 among every good man's duties in November to 



Remember the Poor. — Some, whose crusty hearts 

 hug the world with a grip which death only can 

 unloose, declare that xoant springs from a lack of 

 wit or wisdom. That is their way of excusing the 

 conscience, but not that of the pood farmer. He 

 will visit the widow and the fatherless now, and 

 give them a start in preparing for cold weather; 

 find them employment and aid them in every way 

 to fill the cruse and the barrel, and make their 

 hearts glad, 



"While chill November's surly blast 

 l.nys fields and forests bare. 5 ' 



Now the farmer finishes all his oat-of-door work 



before the severe frosts set in, and lays by his im- 

 plements till the awakening of spring calls him to 

 his hand labor asrain. 



For the New England Farmer. 



CROPS— PINE SHAVINGS. 



Mr. Brown : — x\.s the falling leaves and the hoar 

 frosts of autumn remind us that the labors of the 

 husbandman are nearly closed for the present sea- 

 son, it becomes us with thankfulness to recount 

 the blessings of the past, and while we secure the 

 rich products of earth for our future wants, to pro- 

 vide something to return to the soil, thereby in- 

 creasing its fertility. («.) 



The crops in this vicinity on the whole are very 

 good. In consequence of the severe drought the 

 hay crop was light, and fears were entertained 

 that the earth would not yield her increase ; but 

 through the blessing of a bountiful Providence we 

 have a good yield of corn, an excellent crop of 

 sound potatoes and an abundance of apples. 



But my principal object in this communication 

 is to inquire if pine shavings, used as litter for 

 horses and cows, are any advantage to the soil. I 

 have a piece of moist heavy land which I wish to 

 improve, and an abundance of shavings almost as 

 fine as sawdust can be obtained at a planing mill 

 near by. As some have expressed fears that pine 

 would injure the soil, I wish to know your opinion. 

 (b.) Respectfully Yours, 



J. 0. Tasker. 



Pitts field, N. H., Oct. 15, 1852. 



Remarks. — (a.) The spirit of thankfulness ex- 

 pressed above becomes us all. Let such feelings 

 pervade the heart, and the world becomes to us a 

 better, and a happier one. 



(b.) We have no doubt that the pine shavings 

 will be useful on your "moist, heavy land." They 

 will be more valuable if you bring them into a state 

 of fermentation before they are applied. It is 

 stated in Browne's muck-book that mere woody 

 fibre, in all cases, seems to require fermentation or 

 charring to render it nutritious to plants. Shavings 

 of wood, fine chips, saw-dust, the j T oung shoots of 

 trees and shrubs, usually require as much clung, 

 or vegetable refuse, to bring them into a state of 

 fermentation, as the most obstinate kinds of peat. 

 They can be much sooner decomposed by the ac- 

 tion of caustic lime than by the process of ferment- 

 ation, as they may be speedily converted into ma- 

 nure by being laid in a pit with alternate layers of 

 lime. 



We would recommend experiments, by spreading 

 the clear shavings, a few each year, upon certain 

 square rods of the land. Then upon another par- 

 cel those decomposed by the lime, and upon a 

 third those fermented and decomposed by mixture 

 with the barn manure. And your report to us 

 when the experiments are made we shall consider 

 a fair offset for these brief "remarks." 



HP There are three sorts of friends — your 

 friends who like you, your friends who do not care 

 ou, and your friends who hate you. 



